I woke up on Sunday morning thinking I had simply slept on it wrong, however as the day went on it became clear: The muscles that support my head were sore... from dancing.

Soak up that image for a second: I sure as hell dug in, burying the head and looking at the floor, swinging the arms and losing sight of my surroundings. No idea why I was staring at my feet so much - my moves aren't that complicated.

I was familiar with Abita's flagship brew Purple Haze before my trip to the Big Easy - it's available on beer menus and at distributors throughout the country - but I had no idea the brewery had such a grasp on the city, nor that it produced such a solid line of beers. It began in 1986 about 30 miles north of New Orleans, and today it is rare that a local restaurant does not carry at least one of their products on tap.

A little over a year ago I received a few bottles of Lazy Mag Southern Pecan in my beer of the month club (which is a fantastic gift idea, by the way), and I have since been awaiting the day when I could get it on tap, or at least find it in the store (the one frustrating thing about the beer club is that they overcharge to reorder specific beers).

I had not been in town for five minutes when I saw a six-pack of it on the grocer's shelf (love it when that happens - I'm the guy who typically stands there for ten minutes trying to make a decision). According to Lazy Mag, it's the first beer in the world to be made with whole roasted pecans, which I think adds a slight sweetness that you don't always get in brown ales.

I was surprised to read that it's the first in the world brewed with whole pecans - the traditional malty and caramel flavors of the brown ale seem to go well when paired with nuts in other forms (desserts, for example), so why not beer?

I got involved with this brew at the Atlanta airport of all places - they have a draft house in concourse B. It's not overly heavy (both in terms of drinkability and alcohol content, 5%), and that makes it a good beer to have on the run in my opinion.

famtripper fun fact

Eiffel TowerThe total amount of steps in the Eiffel Tower is 1665. Indulge in an enormous amount of pastries and croissants, because you are able to walk to the second level of the tallest building in Paris. The third level, thankfully, is only accessible by elevator.